Sanofi plans to axe 2000 jobs

06.07.2012 - The French pharma giant is preparing for a major overhaul of activities in its home market.

Exact numbers are not yet final, but French unions already fear the worst. An estimate of 2,000 jobs lost is “probably close to reality,” said Thierry Bodin, a representative of the CGT union after a meeting with managers today. Europe’s third-biggest drugmaker wants to regroup its research in the Paris region and around Lyon, he said. This might be the end for research in Toulouse, where the blockbuster Plavix blood thinner was developed, and Montpellier. The company also plans to eliminate support functions and cut jobs at its Pasteur vaccine division, Bodin said.

Reuters reports, that Chief Executive Chris Viehbacher told employees that the unspecified number of job cuts, at its Toulouse and Montpellier sites, would be achieved through voluntary redundancies, early retirement and internal mobility. Manufacturing sites in France would not be affected by the project. Jean-Marc Podvin, a spokesman for Sanofi, said in a telephone interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, that no job cut figures were given and all options remain open for Toulouse. Montpellier could become a centre focused on clinical development, he added.

The company’s CEO Viehbacher began to restructure Sanofi in 2009 reducing headcount, closing plants and dropping the least promising projects. As part of a strategic shift, the French drugmaker is aiming at reducing internal research and having other actors, such as small biotechs, academic research to find new molecules and vaccines.

In its course to concentrate on its core competencies, Sanofi has decided to divest its 19.3% stake in the Yves Rocher Group, which operates in a variety of sectors, including cosmetics, home care products and clothing. The Rocher family which already controls most of the company will buy the shares and raise its stake to more than 95%.

31.03.2015 Merck Serono has forged a US$941m (€876m) deal with US Intrexon for the development and commercialisation of CAR-T therapies. The new CAR-T projects are set to strengthen their R&D technology portfolio in immuno-oncology.

24.03.2015 Poland has announced the closing of a new venture capital fund at US$42m (€32m). The fund, which is the first of its kind in Poland, is dedicated to the Life Sciences with a strong connection to Central and Eastern Europe.

23.03.2015 A BASF-led consortium aims to decrease bio-based production costs using industrial biotechnology. The Horizon2020 funded consortium is the sixth project of the SPIRE Public Private Partnership and has a budget of €14m.

17.03.2015 Pharma giants GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) will be key collaborators in a new global fund for dementia research to address the rising threat posed by dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

12.03.2015 With around 1,400 companies and 2,400 participants, the springtime counterpart of BIO-Europe enjoyed a successful premiere in France this year. The overall mood of the European biotech industry was positive, and the French hosts in particular reported new initiatives.

10.03.2015 The Gates Foundation has dipped into its purse to bring infectious diseases vaccines to the poorest countries. German vaccine specialist CureVac is set to receive US$52m for their mRNA platform technology.